((This is not for work consumption, Rated R for nudity and adult situations))
Kael went off to do more things; Mike went back to the kitchen and got some lunch. Roeland was there, and said, “We ride more.”
Mike wasn’t sure if he could get on the bike after that spill. As he followed Roeland back to the pasture, there were two more bikes there. Now Roeland showed Mike how to take care of the bike, how to check things over to make sure they worked. He pointed out where things could get kinked, or twisted, or pinched; he showed how things could get in to clog the engine, pierce the radiator, and emergency repairs.
“How do you know so much about this?” Mike asked finally.
Roeland only shrugged. “It is what I learned. It is how we travelled in Georgia.”
Mike had to switch his mind to think not Georgia in the good old U.S. of A., but the country – or a better definition would be an ethnic group or a province. “Not horses?”
“Some horses.”
“How did you meet Kael?”
He stopped for a minute and looked up at Mike, appraising him, as if wondering whether to trust him or not. Mike smiled, interested.
“He came to Georgia,” Roeland began. “I was a fighter, you call them ‘insurgent’, fighting against the Russians. We heard a scream in the sky and something crashed. When we saw it, it was nothing the Russians had, or we had. They were monsters. Kael called them Rikti.”
Mike whispered, “Oh, the Rikti,” not even thinking that the Rikti had invaded other countries. He was so used to dealing with them that he thought they were exclusive to Paragon and the Isles.
“We tried to fight them. We lost half our men. The Russians did too. Kael came and talked to us, and the Russians, and we agreed to fight them off together. Together, we took many down.”
He paused. Mike couldn’t read minds, but he offered, “The enemy of your enemy is your friend sometimes.”
Roeland looked up. “If they did not come, we would have still fought the Russians. There were two ‘Rikti’ left, and in the sleet and rain, in the dark before dawn, we took them down. Kael held back one. We all fought the other, taking him down first. The other swung at Kael, but he blocked it with his rifle. The beast’s sword had snapped. We all saw it. We knew we could take the mind-controller down, and we all did.”
He paused again. Mike was smart this time and kept quiet. “Kael convinced the Russians to leave us alone. Kael stayed with us for a little while. I spoke with him often. He gave me the name and this place to come if I wanted to stop fighting.”
“Do you miss it?”
“I sometimes miss the fighting. But I like this instead.” He motioned to the bike. “Show me again how to fix a brake line.”
#
Roeland took Mike out for one more hair-raising ride. Mike felt his confidence come back on the machine, flowing with it. He returned to the pasture with a few scratches from errant branches, but none the worse for wear. While the farmhands ate dinner, Kael beckoned Mike to come help him. Mike followed, and was slightly surprised when Kael led him into the bathroom down the hall from their room.
After that interlude, Mike couldn’t stop grinning. They ate dinner then retired to a small lounge area toward the rear of the house. No one could see into this room, and it was set off from the rest of the house.
Erica and ?skender put down a NATO travel map and traced a route: Erika said “?av?at, Artvin, Borçka, Muratli. 120 clicks. Cross over tomorrow night, Felip will be waiting. Fifteen clicks to Khelvachauri. Rest up.” She smiled and pushed her glasses up a little “Wednesday you get moving for real. You’ll need to get past Budzguri, to near Sakeni. Only 320 or so clicks. Take it slow.” She hesitated and sat back. “It’ll be fine, as long as you keep your heads down.”
?skender leaned forward, switching maps to a large scale topographic one and continued, “Early start, walking trail north, veer north west after three clicks. Down, and cross into Russia here. Pick up the old trail along this ridge takes you back up north west, stay on it until you make the A155, then south into Dombay. Rooms booked, you’ll be met. Careful though. That trip to Dombay has you LOS El’brus briefly.”
Kael glanced at Mike “Mount El’brus. Or Uashhemafe, Mingi Taw, Ialbuzi, Strobilus, highest mountain in Europe, ‘blessed mountain’, an anchor for many seats, love. Cognate to Har? B?r?zait?. We don’t want to be, ahh, required to provide credentials yet. Not that it’d be bad, just it’d tip our hand to others.” Kael grinned “And lots of time on the trip to fill you in too.”
Kael looked at all three of them “After Dombay, war. Hidden. I’ll try and get this done in as few days as possible. Dombay, Karachayevsk. If Tyrnyauz is where it is, then…” he shruged, and paused as Roeland came in to join them.
Roeland nodded to Erica who caught him up. He grinned to Mike a moment, “You look like me six years ago.”
Mike smiled, and continued paying attention to the briefing.
Kael murmured “Baksan? ???????,” as if to himself, then nods “Has to be Baksan.” he leaned back, “Baksan is an urban town, well connected, and sits right in the land-shape to approach Tyrnyauz. And it’s right on the edge of the wilds. The key is in Baksan. If Mike and I can get it, we can then get to Tyrnyauz without drawing unwanted attention. Mike? In Baksan, folks like you and me sit, more or less, plotting how to take down folks like you and me who come calling. In Tyrnyauz? In Tyrnyauz we can get a clear look at whatever force is building, and its premise. And we can’t, won’t, act against it there. We can sure as hell get enough to get it stopped later.”
Abruptly Kael got up. “We’ll leave it here. Time to sleep. Tomorrow the new day.” They all took their leave with a lazy wave of Kael’s hand. He dropped his hand and took Mike’s, leading him back to their room.
Mike asked, “Why all this going back and forth?”
“A twisty way to move, hitting key places Mike, wakening them. Rote and old paths and memories and lore. In the end we spiral around , in the end we act. Being known the right way in the place we act.”
“I don’t get it.”
Kael stepped into the bedroom, pulling Mike in behind him. “Let’s leave it here,” he said, and began to take off Mike’s clothes.
#
Iskender gave Mike and Kael a huge yawn when they finally emerged from their room, fully dressed and packed, ready to go. “I thought I would never get to sleep with you two going at it all night.”
“Jealous?” Mike blurted in English, and then put a hand over his mouth. Iskender laughed long and loud, though Mike didn’t know if he understood the word or was laughing at his action.
Kael said with a small grin, “Don’t you know? Soldiers must always make love before going to war.” Mike blushed, and Kael put a comradely arm around Mike’s shoulders. “Thank you for your hospitality, Iskender. Where is Erika?”
“Outside, with Roeland. They wanted to see you off.” Iskender got up from his seat at the table, and again gave Kael a bear hug, and one to Mike as well. Mike touched his ribs to make sure nothing was broken, and Iskender laughed again.
Kael took the bag of food on the table for them and headed out to the jeep. Waiting there was Roeland and Erika, as Iskender had said. Erika gave Kael a kiss on both cheeks and whispered something, then did the same to Mike, in a language he didn’t know. He replied, “Thank you,” in Turkish, hoping that was an appropriate response. Roeland saluted both men, and they climbed into the jeep.
While riding, Kael concentrated on the road, stopping every once in a while to glance at maps, but kept his own counsel. The loud noise of the tires on the road and the engine as it was gunned wasn’t conductive to holding a conversation, anyway.
They stopped for a few times to stretch their legs, and they ended up just after twilight heading into Muratli. He got them dinner and brought it to a rented room. There, they ate kabobs and rice.
Mike had not said a word, but he was confused. Finally, Kael asked, “Are you wondering why all this effing around, rather than arrive in Russia – which we could’ve done – and go straight to the point? And what all this is for?”
“Well, shit, yes,” Mike said, setting down his fork. “This is stupid. I didn’t sign up for a tour of Eastern Fucking Europe.”
Kael quietly said, “Mike, this part of the world is old, with so many cultures and people having a stake in it. Now and in the past. Parts of it mean different things to different people. Wars are fought over it. Neighbours have killed neighbours. And it’s a way in to deeper truths for many. Different truths for different people.” He paused “If you, Mike, knew El’brus, all this part of the world? You could stand atop it, metaphorically, and cast a dark magic that’d be so much more powerful. I don’t know your art. You could unleash a being that’d rage around the world, perhaps? But you do not know El’brus, what it means. Or this land, it’s secrets.”
Mike frowned. “Secrets of the land, huh?”
Kael grinned. Mike knew he knew about how mike felt about the word “secrets”. “If we just arrived to do what we think we will do, it’d be like, say, two petty heroes walking into Recluse’ tower and saying ‘Here to kill Recluse!’, and letting loose. They’d get rolled, and all of Arachnos would come down on them. If the same two heroes took the time to scout that path, pay off folk, learn the shifts, plan it so a few of the lieutenants are away, pass as Arachnos… they could get into the tower more easily, scout around, and learn shite they need.
“It’s ripples in a pond. When we come to Tyrnyauz, it’ll be ‘treading lightly’, with no alarms sent on ahead. All this fucking around now? So we pass under the radar. And the force we need to act against is not in Tyrnyauz.”
Mike threw up his hands. “Then–”
Kael put up a finger for him to hold the thought. “Oh, it started there, and an awareness of the force is there. But it’s not there. I hope to get a glimpse past Cal’s damnable fog of war, without him or whatever knowing I have. An advantage, love. All I know is, there’s a chance we can. And if we have to act? Won’t be coming back on us after, in some ways.
“The Sonnenrad? It’s linked here, somehow, and elsewhere. Reflections of whatever is up bought it to me. Like reading tea leaves. Mage. Will. A place. A working, wreaking, – whatever you want to call it. Someone or some thing known to the many aspects of El’brus has done a great thing, caused a great shift. And… We. Will. Find. Out. What.
“And Mike man of Action? We will act, then and after.”
“So we’re scouting the land, getting the lay of the place, what’s been touched, what hasn’t been touched…we could be here for years.”
Kael smiled gently. “We won’t be here for years, Mike; I promise you will see Scott soon.”
“I miss him now,” he said, a little forlorn, and Kael put his arms around him. “I know he misses me too. He’s so young. I left him to PI’s devices and–”
“He knows what he’s doing,” Kael said, and kissed Mike to hush him.
“They’ll turn him.”
Kael shook his head. “He’s smart, Mike. He knows better. He’s stood up for you before, didn’t he? He can stand up for himself.”
He nodded, though it worried him. What if PI did tell him that he was a dark and evil man? What if PI wooed him with promises of officership or sucking up to him or other such things? What if…
“Mike?”
“Huh?” He came back hard to the here and now, looking at Kael’s dark eyes.
“Mike, I have a question.”
“Shoot,” Mike said, and settled back.
“I’ve seen you angry, tired, frustrated; how you call on magic sometimes or express it then.” Kael sounded curious. “Was wondering, could you tell me about the last few times this happened?”
“Well,” Mike said, “If I’m that tired and frustrated, I’ll usually fall back on the kind of magic that I learned before the Demoness claimed me, or what I learned from books and put directly into practice.”
He took a drink of bottled water. “There’s different ways I can do magic. The easiest is with symbols. I draw a symbol on something – a rune. Sometimes the rune is well known, but I know many of them that are my own creation; kind of like my own shorthand. I draw it in the air, or on the ground, or with marker – anything that will keep its form even for a microsecond. When I draw it in the air I can see it. It’s usually one motion, like drawing something without lifting your pen from the paper because the air is so ephemeral. When I draw it on the ground, or anywhere else that anyone can see, it’s more permanent, and I can use many motions to complicate it or complete it.
“I can also use voice, though that can be more chancy. The voice has to be in a perfect tone and pitch, with the will strongly behind it. I’m a good mimic – like with the languages from the bracelets. I hear it in my head, and say it out loud, in the same pitch and tone, with probably an accent to their ears. Any part of the chant or the word or the sound that is off can throw the spell off. I prefer to use it in conjunction with symbols, because one will reinforce the other, and I won’t have to use as much will.
“The last is thought with force of will, and though I can do it, I can’t do it well and the chances of it succeeding are pretty small. Plus the energy to expend to do that, if I don’t have energy to draw from, is a lot. If I’m bound and gagged, I can cause a fire to burn those things away, but I’ll have a headache right afterward and singed skin to boot.
“Now, if there’s dark magic about, or life force, I can draw upon that and use it to enforce my will to be even stronger. That would probably call attention from the powers that you don’t want any attention from, right?”
Kael listened, his head tilted to one side as if thinking. “So symbols, sound, and thought?”
He nodded. “But with thought, I’m no where near as powerful as, say, a telekinetic. I can only do simple things, and it takes all my concentration and lots of time to do it.”
“Simple things such as what?”
“Protection spells, fire spells, summoning, transmutation. Those are second nature to me.”
“Protection for all?”
“Really? No, for me. Then everyone else.” He looked down. “Automatic reaction.”
Kael put a hand on Mike’s arm. “It’s all right, love. What about fire?”
“Fire spells are usually just ‘start fire, keep burning’ kind of things, with a little bit of guidance, though if it’s thought, most times it’s not with that. Summoning by thought is very difficult. Transmutation, I can’t do by thought.”
“What happens if you botch it?”
“The first two, nothing. Summoning I’ll get a bounce back, really hard. Something like a slap from the universe for daring to try and rip a hole in reality.”
“And transmutation?”
“The thing won’t change, or will change into something else entirely, possibly with teeth.” He picked up a piece of bread. “I can’t change this into a piece of wood. But I can change it into any kind of bread that you want. That’s how it works for me.”
Kael nodded. “You’ve said this about when you’re tired and frustrated. What about when you’re angry?”
Mike smile a little. “I was hoping you weren’t going to notice I skipped that part.”
Kael also smiled, sitting closer to him.
“When I’m angry, I get tunnel vision.” He paused. “I know the spell clearly. I have the will to do it. I have power coursing through me, and I have the confidence to do it. But, it can be like swatting a fly with a sledgehammer. Not only will I do what I need to do, but there’s residual effects to the area around it – and to me too. I feel the bounceback, no matter what I do, and that hurts. I could be disoriented for a half a minute or more, but I’m out of commission for that short time.”
“Your empty yourself of will?”
Mike thought. “Power, yes. I think it’s different than will. Power has no direction; it’s my will that gives it the direction. I guess if power was still coming through me, I could still do something automatic – what I can do by second nature. But my direction wouldn’t be behind it.”
Kael nodded slowly, taking this all in. He was the strategist, after all; and he needed to know everything there was to know about his partner. Mike didn’t ask why, knowing that his answers were part of the strategy that Kael was forming.
Even as they got themselves ready for the crossing into Georgia, Mike thought about Scott and the possibility of PI turning him. As night fell and he looked outside, calculating the time by the stars, he wished he could travel across the miles just to see Scott –
And then, it came to him. Of course. It wasn’t really a spell; it wasn’t even magic. It was something simple that people did all the time while they slept. He wouldn’t be stirring up shit by doing what he planned to do – in fact, if he planned it just right, he could be a help. It wouldn’t give him a very restful sleep, but it could be done.
#
Two short whistles, like an owl. Two flashes of light. Two men rushed out of the brush and dashed across a ditch in the dark. Mike could see a vehicle on a rise, and dashed for it. Kael had his sword drawn and pointed it the door before whispering the password. Mike had his pointed at the engine’s radiator.
The pass phrase was responded, and Kael opened the door. Mike said his phrase, heard the answer, and got in on the other side.
“Felip,” said Kael.
“Batono Kael,” replied the man. He glanced at Mike. “Batono Mike.”
“Batono,” Mike responded. Shit. He hadn’t created a bracelet for Georgian.
The man chuckled, started the jeep, and took off in the darkness.
#
The safehouse was more like a safe cabin, with a fireplace, three beds, and a rickety table. The kitchen was well-stocked. Felip lit a candle and set it on the table, saying something to the two men. Mike didn’t understand it, but Kael answered for him. Mike looked around, wondering if there was any thread that he could use in a pinch to make another bracelet. Instead he found a ball point pen and a Georgian newspaper. As he contemplated what to do about that, Kael finished making up the fire. “Come here, love, until the room is warm.”
Mike sat down with him by the hearth, and as things got warm, he started to doze. He forced himself to wake up.
“Kael?”
“Yes, love?”
“I’m going to visit Scott astrally tonight. It doesn’t use magic.”
Kael smiled and hugged him. “I know it doesn’t, love.”
“So I might be a little hard to wake up.”
“That’s all right, thank you for telling me.” They crawled into the bedrolls that Kael had placed on the bed.
#
He wasn’t rested, but felt better, as he snuggled into Kael’s arms. Kael immediately wrapped his arms around Mike. “Things are better?”
“He misses me,” he said. “I miss him, too.” He turned around in Kael’s arms and kissed him. “Like I missed you. How can I love two men at the same time? It’s not fair to both of you.”
“You have a big heart,” Kael said.
They cuddled for a while, until Kael said that it was time to leave. “We are going to Khelvachauri. We are meeting a man there and have an appointment.”
Mike nodded, and the two of them set out, hiking down the road. They were able to catch a ride with someone, and sat in the back of the truck along with about a hundred pounds of vegetables. In payment for the ride, they helped the farmer unload and continued on their way.
They were early for the appointment, so stopped at breakfast. Again, he heard a multitude of languages, some that his bracelets couldn’t follow. Turkish, Arabic, and probably Georgian. He kept silent.
They milled around the farmer’s stalls, and Mike did get a hold of some thick yellow thread to make a bracelet. Kael brought him to an office, with a waiting room, and he sat in a plastic chair. “Sit in the white one over there and wait,” he said.
Mike noticed he was sitting in a white one as well. Kael picked up a magazine and started looking through it. Mike copied the motion.
A door opened, and a man beckoned Kael, and then Mike. They followed the man down a hallway to a room. A photo was taken, and the two men talked in what was probably Georgian. One man looked at Mike. “Mike, will you be able to learn Georgian?”
“I will as soon as I weave this bracelet.”
Kael barked a syllable to the man, who nodded and left the two men in the photography room. “Then weave it as fast as you can,” Kael said.
It was easier, since it was natural thread handled by Georgians, so the language, the culture was already ingrained in the thread. Mike had seen a magazine and stared at the symbols, not able to read them. He asked Kael to speak to him in Georgian, to read the magazine article, and he listened and wove. As he completed the spell, an old Greek recitation of learning languages and letters, he tied the bracelet around his wrist and the spell was complete. He heard Kael reading the story to him and he heard it in English. Mike touched it, and repeated the story to him in Georgian.
Kael only grinned. A little while later the door opened and they were handed two passports and other papers. Kael exchanged money with him, and the man nodded. “Peace of the prophet be with you,” the man said.
“And with you,” Kael replied, bowing. Mike repeated the words.
As they stepped outside, Kael grinned again. “Now…for bikes.”
#
Mike and Kael took the bikes and headed up into the woods. Mike followed, keeping low to the machine, and keeping up with Kael. Whatever paths Kael was seeing, Mike sure didn’t; and then he decided to try something. At a pause for a drink, Mike passed his hands over his eyes. The forest was brighter, and now Mike could see the path.
He could also see Kael. Kael, a beautiful man, bright and shining, blessed and armored. Mike smiled at Kael, his heart swelling with love and peace, and he threw his arms around Kael, muttering, “I love you,” in his shoulder.
“I love you, too,” Kael said, cupping the back of Mike’s head affectionately. They stayed like that for a while, until Mike let go. After that, they kept following the trail, heading into Sakeni, in Georgia. There, they stopped for the night.
The next morning, Kael woke Mike gently and said that they were going hiking. Mike didn’t know if he was ready for this leg of the trip, but he was going to try. The packs were already packed and he was ready to go.
For some time, they were in fog, and very quiet. Mike kept his eye on the trail and on Kael’s back. Again, he made himself see Kael magically, and could see both the trail and Kael at the same time.
“Cleave to me, Mike,” he said suddenly, taking Mike’s hand and holding it tightly. Mike was confused, but did as he was told. They broke out of some brush and there, to his left was a huge mountain, white with snow and beautiful. He could see the power eminating from it – and the power was strong there.
The sun had lights next to it, four greater lights and three lesser ones, like bright suns themselves. He’d never seen such a thing before, and stared at them. He saw afterimages in the world around him, old images of war, battle, a woman giving birth; someone holding off a wolf, and blood, so much blood –
“Mike,” hissed Kael, and Mike turned to him. Kael’s brightness, his armor, his beauty – it wasn’t gone, but it was disappearing. Kael had a look of concern on his face, hiding something else, something that might be pain. Mike squeezed Kael’s hand, and hurried with him out of the shadow of the mountain.
Now Mike understood what Kael meant by the power being there, that if Mike understood the power of the land, he could use that power himself. A fleeting thought came to him that someday, he’d like to learn the power of that land. What power that would mean for himself?
He banished the thought away. He wasn’t that person anymore, power for power’s sake.
They cleared the area, and Kael stopped, panting. He was exhausted, it seemed, and sunk down to the ground. Mike sat with him, watching as the glow slowly returned. Mike pulled out a handkerchief and put it to Kael’s nose, and gently tilted Kael’s head back.
Kael took deep, cleansing breaths. Mike didn’t ask if he was all right. Whatever power was in that mountain affected Kael, and that decided him. He would find that power and do whatever needed to be done to destroy it or put it to heel. If he could.
They didn’t discuss what happened, only knowing that it did, and continued on. The air was colder and crisper, and they arrived in Dombay. “Pretend we are returning from a hike here. Act like we’ve been here all along.”
Mike nodded, and saw some hikers coming their way. “Hello!” they called, and Mike touched the bracelet, struggling with the word that the bracelet told him to say: “Zdravstvujtye!” Russian, Mike thought, is worse than German.
They went into the resort, and Mike’s eye was caught by a huge blond with a young man with him. The blond smiled at him, giving him a wink. Mike caught it, caught the meaning immediately. Mike smiled. Kael stopped, looked between the two and came back with a whisper, “He has it all right love. We’ve the night here, want to see if I can arrange something?”
Mike stood upright in more than one way, and turned to Kael. “Well, if…”
Kael only gave him a devilish grin, handing him the keycard with the room number on it. Mike took it and went up to the room. There, on the table, were keys, and it looked like they had been here for a long time. Mike plopped himself down on the bed, taking off his boots and rubbing his feet on the footboard. He wished it didn’t have to be so complicated.
Kael returned and smiling, brought Mike down to the dining area. He saw the blond man with another young man, and thought no more of it. The place was crowded. Kael went to the bar to talk to the blond man, who shot a look at Mike and smiled. Mike immediately got butterflies in his stomach and groin. Kael returned, saying, “Nope,” but he grinned. Mike knew he was teasing.
Dinner was a fast affair, and they headed up to a different room. He knocked, Mike heard an answer, and Kael guided him inside. Kael kissed him as soon as he walked in, which surprised him at first, but Mike fell right into it as he shut the door behind him. He heard a small squeak of surprise, and then a deep voice of reassurance.
When Kael let him go, Mike took in the room. It was a suite, with a couch and table and chairs as well as a bed. On the bed, topless, were two men, one a young man, a little older than Scott; the other the big blond from the bar. “Mike,” Kael said, motioning to him. “Kael,” he said, motioning to himself.
“Askel,” said the blond man, looking Mike up and down. “Mikha’el,” he nodded to the young man, who also nodded to the two.
Then Kael turned on the charm for Mike. Immediately taking him to the couch, he began kissing and making out in earnest. Mike fell right into play, enjoying every last second of it. He would sometimes watch the other two men going at it, getting slowly undressed. The blond was good, very good, and the boy moaned and gyrated in just the right way…
Somehow they ended up on the bed, both Mike and the boy on the bottom. Mike looked at the young man and winked. The young man giggled. How like Scott he is, Mike thought for a moment, and then Mike looked up to see the blond man towering over him. He saw Kael over the young man.
At first, Mike felt abandoned, but the blond started doing things to him that he had done to the other Mikha’el, and glanced at Kael, who was watching him intently. Kael knew he had wanted the big blond, and was letting him. So Mike relaxed, the thought of “Kael’s not going to leave me,” and responded to the blond’s touches and caresses.
The two top men seemed to be synchronized, entering both at the same time, thrusting at roughly the same speed, Mike was lost in the intensity, as he put his hand on top of Kael’s while he was thrusting into the boy – and the blond showered him with kisses and soft, deep words in a language he didn’t know and didn’t need to know.
Both he and the boy came at the same time, so well synchronized were they, and the two tops came soon after, collapsing on them both. Kael’s fingers entwined around Mike’s, as Mike stroked the broad back of the blond. This was weird, very weird, but…nice.
Scott could never know.
As Mike would later find out, this was only the first round.
#
They stumbled to their room about two in the morning, both of them well satiated and satisfied. Mike tumbled into bed, Kael right on top of him. They kicked off their shoes, and got naked again, but there was no way either of them could get any further. Kael put his arms around Mike and whispered, “Happy belated Valentine’s Day, love.”
Mike chuckled, kissed him once, and promptly fell asleep.
The next morning, both of them checked out, barely in time, and got back on the bikes. They took their time this time – Mike was still sore from the night before – and they found their way with another group of riders. They arrived at the city of Baksan.
They spoke Russian and Georgian, though preferred Georgian, so Mike could follow what they were saying. There was just over a dozen riders, led by a married couple and their son. Kael answered most of the questions for him, and Mike learned to just be quiet. This was hard and difficult for him, as he was used to asking questions and talking to people, to get what he could out of them. Instead, he listened.
He listened to them talk about travelling from place to place, looking for jobs. Things were bad here too, with the government still trying to find its way through a republic and so many hard-core communists still in power. Mike had known that the few things you don’t talk about in mixed company is religion and politics, so he kept his mouth shut about the Isles. They talked, and laughed (though Mike didn’t know the cultural references to most of the jokes) and got silly-drunk – except Mike, of course. Even if he wasn’t going to use magic, he didn’t like the wool-headed feeling after a morning of drinking.
The next morning, Kael and Mike were up first. Kael was more wary than usual, and Mike immediately went into Magic Sight mode. He looked around and could see dark auras in places; auras of wariness; people on high alert even this early in the morning. The riders, though, were oblivious to that, as they all met at a little hole-in-the-wall diner, hung over and drinking coffee to ward off the hangovers. Mike, feeling bad about a few of them, wanted to give them his rune or his potion to take away hangovers, but he kept reminding himself, no magic, no magic here.
They rode on to Tyrnyauz, getting through there in the afternoon – but then Vicenc – the leader – blew a gasket on his bike. A few bent down to see if they could repair it, but they needed parts. They hobbled back into town, ordering the part. Because of that, they were going to be stuck there an extra day, maybe two.
Making the best of it, they headed to the tourist traps, getting a tour of the tungsten mines, a memorial of a 2001 flood, a little bit of history here and there. The point was, Mike thought, they were together.
In the meantime, Mike kept his Magic Sight on. They were heading for El’brus, that mountain that did something to Kael, and by God he was going to try and find out what it was.
Then he Saw it. They were walking by a building on Sunday afternoon and he Saw something wrong with it. It was a burned out, gutted building, but Mike could sense magic. Dark magic. It was covered up with fire, but underneath was something horrible.
Something he had done once or twice.
“There’s something wrong here, Kael,” Mike said, pacing the building. “I can’t put my finger on it.”
He could. He didn’t want to tell Kael. He’d done something like this. He’d been brave enough to cover it over as “died of natural causes”. But this seemed worse in some way, and -that- he couldn’t put his finger on.
“We’ll come back tonight, love,” Kael said, glancing around. Mike frowned, wanting to go in right now, but Kael was the strategist. He had his reasons.
They did return, armed to the teeth. Mike mentioned magic, and Kael immediately went for the blade. It was pitch black, no moon. Kael stood, waiting…and the moon peered from behind the clouds.
Mike felt it, like the time Kael had offered his Will to him that one time he tried to find Jo’s baby. Kael, without turning to Mike, grabbed Mike’s arm and said, “The Sonnenrad.” However, he didn’t say it. Mike heard it in his ears, his mind, as if his bracelets were talking to him. Mike went in his inside pocket of his kevlar vest and pulled out the stone that started this whole thing, the message to Kael. He handed it to Kael, and but Kael put his hand on top of Mike’s. The Sonnerad flared.
Mike watched as he could see the stone, right through his hand. He looked up to see Kael, just as translucent. But not only that, they were no longer in the foyer of a burned out building, but in the foyer of a building that had bedded down for the night, with night lights in the corner and no one around.
At first, he was afraid. This was magic that tickled the back of his mind, magic he vaguely knew but wasn’t competent with. Magic similar to his teleporting, and magic that he once knew like the back of his hand when he worked for Hades. Magic that had been his second nature and now was a tease..
They walked hand in hand through the halls, to a large circular room. There, in the center of what could have been a meeting room, was a larger version of the Sonnenrad, painted on the floor. “Watch with everything you have,” he heard Kael’s voice again, “we cannot act, no matter what.”
No, Mike thought, and he hoped Kael didn’t hear. He knew what was going to happen. He had done this himself…
The door on the side opened and a figure entered. He’s tall, slim, with pale almost cornstalk-yellow hair, and scarred from what looked like many knife blades. “Luc” Kael says.
Luc, dark mage, Mike adds, and watched. The man looked around, almost looking right at them. He unclipped a small staff from his belt, and thrusts it into the center of the Sonnenrad. Okay, Mike thought, I know what you’re going to do. You’re going to summon something, and…
And I can’t stop you.
Helpless, he watched. He watched as the man began a chant and people came. People came and stood before him; and people came and stood outside; and people came while Mike stood there, gripping the stone as tightly as he could, his anger and fury dampened at this – and he knew the man wouldn’t stop at three, seven, thirteen, or twenty-one. No. No, he went full-bore, and he was summoning something that needed more than that, 343.
Helpless, Mike watched as the man’s voice changed, and he claimed the souls of all the people there, in the building, in the surrounding building, on the street – three hundred forty-three. Seven thrice seven, magic numbers, a sorcerer’s numbers. One by one, they collapsed and died….of natural causes.
That man could have been me…
The last seven were children. They were right in the room with them, and he took them all at once – even Mike could never, would never, do that. Their lives left and flowed to him, to the center of the Sonnenrad, and there grew…power.
Luc approached it. Mike knew exactly what it was. Something old, older than even man could put a name to it, older than Hades, as old as the abyss itself. It looked for a moment like a ghostly dark mantle made of shadow and void. Luc stood so close, as if to kiss it, and it flowed, disappearing – and there was only Luc.
Only Luc, now the void. Holy shit, Alex…
At that thought, the thing called Luc turned in their direction. A fire bloomed in front of them, and the whole place started going up. Luc walked out from the way he came, and Kael turned to Mike. Mike even said, in his mind, “We need to get out of here.”
Kael shuddered, and exerted his will to try and get out easy, but things were breaking around them. A shadow reached out for Kael and Mike slashes it with the sword – not acting, be damned. It hits true – a low tone echoes, similar to the one when he fought with Kael on the rise before – the shadow dissipates.
“We don’t have fucking time for treading lightly, Kael!” He grabbed Kael and started yanking him to the door. Another shadow came out and Mike struck that as well. Shadows and creatures of the abyss strove to grab them, drag them down, the only “living” things in this place. Mike swung like a madman, keeping himself between them and Kael, forcibly pushing Kael to the front door.
Then, finally, Mike kicked open the front door and they spilled out into the night, the Sonnenrad dropping from their hands and the light fading away.
Mike looked over at Kael. “Kael? Kael?”
“I’m all right, love,” he said, but wasn’t moving. Mike got up, snatching the Sonnenrad from the ground, and went to Kael. He didn’t look so good, looking more exhausted than anything.
Mike said, “No, you are not,” and helped him to his feet. He put Kael’s arm around his shoulder and half-walked, half-carried the man to the hotel. Mike finally had to resort to magic to get Kael up the stairs to their room.
Mike got Kael to the bed and dropped him there. Kael moved his head side to side, then opened his eyes just a bit. He smiled at Mike and said, “You saved me.” Then he promptly passed out.
Mike knew enough triage from his short-lived stint as an ER doc in PI, so checked his vitals without any machines. He checked his pulse – strong and steady. The breathing was also all right, a little rushed, but he could understand that. As time went on he listened, checked again. His breathing had stabilized and was also steady. He got Kael undressed down to boxers. Mike got undressed to a t-shirt and boxers, and crawled in next to him.
Kael slept, and Mike dozed, checking every once in a while to make sure Kael was still all right. He seemed to be, though he didn’t wake up when someone knocked on the door at eight a.m. Mike was wide awake and dressed, and answered the door.
Remie, Vic’s wife, stood in the doorway. “We’re going to breakfast and check on the part–”
The remains of Mike’s breakfast was already on the small table. “I already ate,” he said. “Kael’s not feeling so well. I think it’s the stomach flu.”
“Oh, the water, did he drink the water?”
Mike nodded sagely. “Or dysentery. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him.”
She smiled. “I am sure you will, friend. Let us know how he is around lunch time.”
Kael slept through, so Mike woke him up. “Hey, hey lover, you have to eat something.” Mike was deathly afraid that Kael had slipped into a coma. Kael got up, went to the bathroom, came back and collapsed on the bed. Mike gave him some soup that he had gotten from downstairs.
“I might have…pushed too hard,” was all Kael said. He got the soup in him and started drifting off again. Mike let him sink back down into the covers.
He went to find Vic and Remie, but instead found their son Felip. “Hey,” Mike called him.
“Hey yourself,” said Felip with a smile. “Did you have fun last night?”
How did he know?
“I heard you open your door early in the morning. Did you meet that blond man again?”
“Huh? Oh – yeah.” Mike smiled, hoping it looked like a cat who had caught a canary. “Listen, can you tell your mother and father that we’re probably not going to be heading out with you guys. Kael’s taken ill and I want to get him home as soon as possible.”
“Is he deathly ill? They have a hospital here.”
“Not that bad. No, it’s about time we head home anyway.”
Felip looked genuinely saddened. “All right. I will tell them. I do hope he feels better.”
Remie came in later to check on them, and told Mike they were leaving tomorrow in the early morning. She offered some herbal remedies, and Kael had woken up a bit while she was there. “Yes, dysentery,” she said, nodding wisely. “You better bring him home.”
“I plan on it,” Mike said. But when she left, Kael said, “Mike, get the map.”
Mike got the map and spread it before him. Kael stared blankly at it, and Mike pointed where they were. Kael focused, and Mike could tell it was taking a lot out of him to do so. “We will go to Vladikavkaz,” he said. “But not today.”
“I’ll bring something upstairs,”
“Some more wonderful soup, love,” he said, and smiled, though it was weak. Mike kissed him and went to get it. Mike got the soup and saw Askel and his lover. They nodded to each other and Askel came over asking, “Kael?”
“Do you speak Russian?” he asked Askel in that language. Askel understood what that meant, but shook his head. “English?” No. The boy nodded, though. “I know few English,” he said.
“Kael has dysentery.”
Both knew what that was, it seemed, because they nodded their heads saying, “Ohhhh.” Askel said something and gave Mike a kiss on both cheeks. The boy said, “He say to give him that.”
“I will,” Mike said with a smile.
The next day, Kael felt well enough to get into a taxi and they headed to Vladikavkaz. “Find the LBH offices,” he said ordered Mike, who spoke in impeccable Russian to ask him to find the same airline they had taken before.
There, Kael, who was obviously not doing well, asked for a plane for Ahvaz. They said they would have a charter plane over in two days, and offered to put them up in a hotel until it arrived. Mike spent his time watching TV, reading magazines and checking on Kael. Kael made some phone calls that also made him work for it. Mike was tempted to grab life force from something around and give it to Kael, but didn’t think that Kael would want it or could use it. Dark magic, like what they had battled, and what probably injured Kael, wouldn’t be helpful to him.
Mike also sat down and started writing down what had happened, in relation to his own magic. The differences, the similarities, what he remembered was used and done. He would give this to Kael when he was better and they would peruse it together, trying to decipher what exactly was done and why. However, Mike had a sneaking suspicion why it was done, and didn’t like it one bit.